Can you get a mortgage with a negative credit record in Czechia?

Often you can. A record in a credit register does not automatically rule out a mortgage, because banks look at what kind of record it is, how large and how old. A payment a few days late that you have since settled is overlooked by most banks, while arrears of more than 90 days, enforcement proceedings (exekuce) or insolvency mean a refusal practically everywhere.

In between lies a grey zone where the outcome depends on each bank's internal scoring, so it pays to choose carefully where you apply.

Records in the banks' register (BRKI) and the non-bank register (NRKI) stay visible for 4 years after the debt is repaid; in SOLUS it is 3 years. You can see in advance exactly what a bank will see by requesting an extract, and you should, because every loan application also leaves an enquiry in the register. With the average rate on new mortgages at 5.00 % (ČBA, August 2026), a record that does not sink the application can still cost you a lower LTV and a few tenths of a percentage point on the rate.

What counts as a negative credit record?

The registers hold more than unpaid debts. BRKI (Bankovní registr klientských informací) lists every bank loan, credit cards and overdrafts included. NRKI does the same for non-bank lenders and leasing companies, and SOLUS adds debts to mobile operators, energy suppliers and shops selling on instalments. For each obligation the register shows the repayment history: whether you were ever in arrears, and for how long. When you apply, the bank pulls extracts from all three and also checks the insolvency register (insolvenční rejstřík) and the Central Register of Enforcements (Centrální evidence exekucí).

A clean history works the other way. A car loan repaid on time or a credit card without a single late payment actually improves your score.

How long does a record stay in the register?

The clock starts when you settle the obligation, not when the arrears happened. If you pay off a 2023 debt only in October 2026, banks will see it in the banking register until October 2030.

• BRKI and NRKI: 4 years after the obligation is repaid (extinguished), with the full repayment history, arrears included, visible throughout.
• SOLUS: 3 years after the debt is paid, in the negative register of individuals; 1 year for debts to telecom operators and energy suppliers.
• Insolvency register: the debtor is removed from the list of debtors 5 years after the insolvency proceedings end. After debt relief (oddlužení) with discharge, the current wording gives 3 years from the discharge (§ 425 of the Insolvency Act).
• Central Register of Enforcements: the record disappears shortly after the enforcement ends with final effect, and stays visible for as long as it runs.

A correct record cannot be deleted on request, whether you offer a fee or hire one of the “register cleaning” services advertised online. Only an incorrect record can be corrected, through a complaint to the creditor that filed it or directly to the register operator.

Check what the bank will see

Get the extracts yourself, ideally 2–3 months before you apply. You will see exactly what the bank's credit officer sees, and you will have time to dispute an error or pay off a debt.

1. BRKI and NRKI are run by CBCB and CNCB. A joint extract is available online at kolikmam.cz once you have verified your identity. It costs a few hundred koruna, and under the GDPR you can also ask for a free copy of your personal data.
2. SOLUS issues an extract once you have been given an identification number (SIN), online through an app or by post.
3. The insolvency register (isir.justice.cz) is public and free; search by name and date of birth.
4. The Central Register of Enforcements is run by the Chamber of Executors (Exekutorská komora). Extracts are available online or at a Czech POINT office, usually for a fee.

In each extract, look at three things: the arrears flag on every obligation, the date the obligation ended (the clock runs from that date) and the list of enquiries. If you find a loan that is not yours, or arrears that your bank statements show never happened, file a written complaint and attach it to the mortgage application.

How the bank actually weighs a record

Register records are not a ČNB matter. The only binding ČNB limit for mortgages on owner-occupied housing is LTV 80 % (90 % for applicants under 36). The ČNB switched off the DSTI and DTI ratios in 2023 and 2024 respectively, and banks now apply them only as their own internal thresholds. What a bank does with a register record is purely a question of its own risk policy, which is why banks differ so much.

The application first goes through automated scoring. A record above a certain severity means an instant refusal whatever your income; a milder one sends the file to a credit officer, who weighs:

• age: arrears more than 2 years old count for far less than last year's;
• amount: a few hundred koruna owed to a phone operator is not the same as tens of thousands on a credit card;
• repetition: one late payment is an incident, five are a pattern;
• the rest of your profile: stable income, a lower LTV and more of your own money partly offset the record.

A borderline applicant is either refused or offered worse terms: a lower LTV (typically 70 % instead of 80 %) and a rate at the top of today's 4.7–5.8 % range of individual offers. Since tolerance varies from bank to bank, sending applications to five banks achieves nothing except five enquiries in the register. Have a mortgage adviser who knows the banks' internal rules look at the record first, then apply at one or two banks.

What a record costs on a CZK 3 million mortgage

The worse rate is not for life. At the next refixation, once the record is older or gone, you can renegotiate or refinance. The lower LTV hurts more, because you need the extra cash on day one.

Five ways to deal with a record, and one to avoid

1. Pay the debt and get the obligation marked as closed. The 4-year (BRKI/NRKI) or 3-year (SOLUS) period only starts running from repayment. Ask the creditor for confirmation of payment and check in the extract that the obligation shows as ended.
2. Explain and document. For a single short delay, a written explanation with evidence helps: a standing order set up wrongly, a stay in hospital, a statement showing that the money left your account on time and the error was the creditor's. Attach it to the application rather than waiting to be asked.
3. Dispute an incorrect record. An entry for a debt you never had (a forgotten SIM card, a closed account with an outstanding fee) should be disputed with both the creditor and the register. Until it is resolved the record is flagged as disputed, and the credit officer can see that.
4. Change the shape of the application. Add a co-applicant with a clean history, bring more of your own money to lower the LTV, and cancel credit cards and overdrafts you do not use (they count against the bank's internal DSTI). Check the result first in the How much can I borrow calculator.
5. Wait for the record to expire, but price the wait. Realised prices of older flats rose 14 % year on year in Q2 2026 (Prague +11 %). If that pace held, a year's wait on a CZK 4.3 million flat would add CZK 470–600k to the price, whereas a rate 0.5 pp higher costs roughly CZK 10,600 a year on CZK 3 million and can be renegotiated at the next refixation. Waiting makes sense for a serious record that drops off within a few months, not for a minor delay with three years to run.

What to avoid: non-bank adverts for a “mortgage with no register check”. A non-bank lender also needs a ČNB licence and must assess your creditworthiness (úvěruschopnost) under § 86 of the Consumer Credit Act. Anyone who lends against your property regardless of register and income is counting on selling it after the first missed payment. Their rates are many times the banks' 5.00 %, and the only extra thing you get is another record. If a bank has already turned you down, start with our seven realistic options after a mortgage refusal.